A thousand years before Brother Va's birth, the technology of the User culture advanced to such a degree that their wars reshaped the very face of Earth. After the apocalyptic destruction, the post-Turn world shied away from all things scientific, moving backwards into a new Dark Age. The books of the Users were locked away in an obscure Russian monastery, buried from sight and it was hoped, from temptation. Now, however, someone has located the books and has slaughtered the monks of Arkady to get to them, leaving only Brother Va and his stricken follower Elenya to get them back, whatever the cost.

The released User tech catches the attention of more then just the thieves and Brother Va. Benzamir Mahmoud arrives on the sands of el Alam with a flimsy story and no belongings. What he does have are a wealth of unbelievable secrets and abilities beyond the comprehension of the people who now dwell in this post-Turn world. Benzamir seeks the books but does not know this world; he will have to make friends of servants and slaves, though he risks losing them when they learn the truth about who he really is.

As Benzamir and Va move closer to each other, and the objects of their search, the deadly forces residing in the long-hidden User books are being released but even those who control this new-found force have no stomach for the results. Va and Benzamir both will be forced to face the truth behind their beliefs and decide if the world really would be better off without the progress that they hold in their hands; progress that can be either incredibly destructive or unbelievably uplifting.

Where were these Young Adult books when I was a young adult? Seriously, the quality of material coming out is just incredible. This is a fabulous science-fiction storyline and not something one would necessarily equate with "young adults". The guilt-ridden Brother Va, though he spent his adult life dealing death as a mercenary, has given himself to God in the years just before the start of the novel. Elenya, his obsessed would-be lover follows him and prays hourly for his death to release her from her obsession. Theirs is a relationship filled with deep-seated conflict and emotion, old wounds constantly open and bleeding from each others presence. The emotional pain that Va inflicts on both of them is palpable, like a bad tooth that one continually worries at. Benzamir, in contrast, is wide-eyed with wonder over being on his ancestral planet, though he is no simpleton. He is a skilled warrior and tactician, searching out his prey with an uncanny knowledge yet he revels in the normal, everyday things like the taste of coffee, the feel of real linen and wool on his skin, the burning sun.

The characters have a depth and richness to them that's simply remarkable and speaks well for the author in that he would invest so much care into a novel for teens. They need more books of this kind; novels that fill them with wonder but also challenge them emotionally and put questions to them that they should be asking. Bravo to Dr. Morden on this fine first offering for youngsters.
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Hardcover: 528 pages
Publisher: David Fickling Books (June 10, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385751478
ISBN-13: 978-0385751476